


I Wish I Belonged

by Gemini_Baby



Series: Flufftober 2020 [6]
Category: DCU (Comics), Impulse (Comics)
Genre: Angst, BECAUSE THAT BABY DESERVES A LOT OF HUGS, Bart Allen Gets a Hug, Bart Allen Needs A Hug, Bart Allen feels, Fluff, Flufftober2020, Gen, Insecurity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:20:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,166
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26860537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemini_Baby/pseuds/Gemini_Baby
Summary: All in all, Bart just wanted to belong.
Relationships: Bart Allen & Max Crandall
Series: Flufftober 2020 [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2022917
Comments: 12
Kudos: 41
Collections: Flufftober2020





	I Wish I Belonged

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



> Written for the Flufftober 2020's prompt, "Quicksilver"
> 
> For my dearest friend Syn who is awesome and a very good friend. Syn deserves all the love 💖💖
> 
> Many thanks to BB (BatBirdies) for helping with it <3\. BB made it so much better.
> 
> I have only read three issues of Impulse comics (yet), so my apologies if it feels OOC 😬
> 
> I hope you enjoy <3

Bart wanted to belong. Wanted to understand all these new things, new changes. Everyone expected from him that he grasp it all. But no one was willing to explain it to him.

He could phase through materials, walls with ease. It was hard to phase through this barrier of differences. Hardest elements accepted his being to cross towards another side, to phase through and reach the other side. The metaphorical walls of people, present and this thing called belonging kept throwing him off. It felt impossible to reach the other side. 

For someone with super speed, his progress with finding a  _ home _ was proving to be super slow. 

  
  
  
  


He was here - in the present. The future was gloomy. The present was confusing. Draining. Unaccepting.

  
  


Bart was vibrating.

________________________________

  
  


“Be yourself,” they said.

“Speak the truth.” They said.

“Always be honest.” They said.

“Don’t lie.” They said.

___________________________________

It was his first day at school. He had taught himself to write earlier.

Wasn’t it enough that he was thrust into the past - err, present? No. Past. No. Present.

All the technicality stuff was full of headaches.

Where was Bart though? In picturing his inner monologue, he meant.

Locker. Door. Many people. Bags. Jabs. Weird environment.

Oh yeah!

Wasn’t it already enough that Bart was in a different time altogether that he now needed to be thrust into an absurd environment too?

What was needed from him?

  
  


The teacher told him to sit. He dragged himself unenthusiastically to the last desk. She said that he was not a man of many words. Bart wasn’t sure what that meant 

He could hear the jabs and taunts, and some kinds of….analysis on him.

Most of his classmates sneered.

Great.

Another environment.

A new environment.

Where he wouldn’t be accepted.

The same thing kept repeating all over again.

Bart knew how to run. He believed he was good at it.

But he couldn’t run away from his problems.

He was lost in his dilemma when he heard himself being addressed.

His teacher was calling him. She required an answer. Later, she added that Bart was not paying any attention.

_ Wrong. _

_ Bart was paying full attention! _

So he listed off all the things he had paid attention to.

His teacher got angry instead. Called him a backtalker.

Bart had answered the question though. Was that not what she had asked?

Guess he wouldn’t know. Guess the teacher wouldn’t tell him either. Just like all the others. Leaving him in the wild and expecting him to figure it all out on his own. And then returning and calling him wild.

The teacher gave them an assignment. They had to write their biographies.

Bart could hear other students asking questions about what they should write, how long should it be and many other questions.

Bart picked up his pencil. He couldn’t find out the on switch. How was this device supposed to be turned on?

He distantly heard a couple of boys laughing and mocking him trying to find the on switch.

He put the pencil to the paper. Oh, wait. It worked. Without an ON switch!

But there should be an off switch! It should be there for safety. Otherwise, the pencil could hurt and stab people. Badly. Especially in the eyes - 

Or the kids.

Oh, wait.

Biography.

He needed to be working on his assignment.

He picked up the pencil and got to work.

Writing all about him felt like a shower after a tiresome run. It helped some with the frustration.

  
  
  


Or it helped while the paper lasted.

Seeing Max tear the paper in two was similar to the feeling that water ran out while one was on the soap process after being sweaty. The frustration was back again.

He had worked so hard on this!

It was his first homework!

It had felt like an eternity doing it.

It might have been two weeks. But the sentiment counted.

Max was quick to correct him though. He was always quick when Bart slipped up. It had been only two hours according to him.

Two hours were still two hours!

They didn’t deserve the “only” before them.

  
  


Apparently, Max was not happy with his homework. He wanted him to write something else.

New rules again.

Apparently, he couldn’t tell who he was actually. And who he was related to. Andwherehecamefrom. AndthefactthathewasraisedinAI. Orhisageanddevelopmentstuff. Hecouldn’tttellthatMaxwasnothisactualuncle. Orthathetoohadspeed. 

ITWASSOCONFUSING.

If he was not to write what or who he was, what was he supposed to write?

And once again, Max gave an ambiguous answer. He gave the Not to Do or more like Not-to-mention list. The Its-okay-to-mention list was non-existent.

He didn’t tell Max that he would have loved to write about home and belonging here and now, had he been feeling it.

He supposed it wouldn’t make the matter better. It might make it worse. Just like almost all the things Bart had been trying to do for good. But resulted in something bad.

Maybe people were right in not trusting him…

  
  


Max told him he needed and wanted Bart to try and be like a boy of the 20th century. A fifteen year old ninth grader. From Alabama. And not someone from the future with AIs.

Bart was expected to mould into something he wasn’t.

  
  
  
  


Bart did his homework. Raced to school. And gave his work when the teacher asked for everyone to prepare the papers to be submitted. She scolded him anyways. Something about writing with a blunt pencil.

She would love his essay though!

He worked very hard on it! And even followed Max’s Not-to-Mention list.

He later was called to principal’s office.

Trouble again. Maybe?

But considering everything involving Bart….Surely.

She told him that she liked his essay even if the teacher disagreed .

Bart was confused.

The principal told him to write something dry to submit to the teacher, and submit this work of talent to her.

He asked if he was in trouble and she said no. Not this time. Asked him to bring his uncle after his work shift ended because she wanted to talk to him about Bart’s talent.

  
  


Bart told Max.

Max...he couldn’t read Max.

After meeting the principal though, Max looked like a sunflower. Blooming. 

  
  


He petted Bart’s hair after they reached the house. He looked….proud.

  
  


_______________________________________

Max gave him a task.

Make friends.

Bart tried. But all the encounters were pulled with bullying.

He didn’t pick any fights with the students trying to fight him. But he didn’t let them hurt him either. At least physically.

  
  
  
  
  
  


"Made any friends today?" 

"There's still tomorrow."

Max put an arm around his shoulder bringing him closer to him, where he himself was sitting. Bart's hair tickled Max's chin where he had tucked Bart's head under his. Bart knew because Max grunted. An amused grunt. But a warm hug. Something he could almost call home. 

  
  


There was still tomorrow. 

Tomorrow when he could begin to belong. 

After all, Bart was the kid of the future. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you liked it 💖
> 
> Kudos, comments, bookmarks, user subscriptions are all welcome and appreciated
> 
> If you want to say hi on tumblr or follow me there, I am geminibabyhere


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